Tito Cordero at the Hacienda Saruro

Meeting with my Friend Tito Cordero at the DUSA Diplomatico facitlity hacienda in Le Meir

Santa Teresa Away from the Rum

The morning fog shrouds the mountains behind the sugar cane

     Santa Teresa distillery is set in a very beautiful mountain valley in Venezuela.   The thing that really go to me was the surroundings of the distillery.   They have a recreational park on the distillery grounds and a train that takes the guests around the facility.   The distillery is very interesting and the tasting of the rums is also very interesting, but the scenery is just breath taking.   

    

      With the sugar cane growing on the grounds and the beautiful tassel plumes brightening up the valley floor.   The mountains transition down to the valley and the trees, sugar and the distillery.     It really doesn't matter which way you look from the park area of the distillery, you see something that hold your eye.   In the open fields there are horses grazing and people having a picnic lunch.  Just a really peaceful serene setting in which to make some very good rum.    


Trees, mountains and sugar cane, what a beautiful picture



Following the row of graceful palm trees down the lane through the sugar cane fields you see the towering still jut up from the tops of the sugar cane.   This is the reminder of the other side of the plantation.    The reason for the huge plantation is here in the first place, making of the rum.   That is what supports the park, the train station and the rest of the operation.   It is nice however to be able to enjoy the lush bird filled scenery that surrounds the manufacturing of rum here.

Oh Yes the rum and the lineage of the rum, just as colorful as the park where it is produced.   Santa Teresa Bodega Privada, the private reserve of the family, beyond the imagination for taste and flavor.   The traditions that keep the place in full operation producing these fine rums.   ;o)

Black Friday: 4:00 am for Tires?

Turkey Takeover: Black Friday moves

 in on Thanksgiving - Tennessee Journalist

    I'll sure be glad to see Christmas behind us this year.  It wasn't bad enough to be bombarded with political ads right up to the start of November, but now we have Black Friday crap that is about to drive me to DRINK!    Madison Avenue and a very weak economy seem to be hard at work trying to get the American public to spend more of the money they still don't have by getting them up at some ridiculous hour to go to the store and stand in line for stuff they really don't need or want.



   All of this stuff could drive a sane man to drink.   That is not such a bad idea either, at least I'd be at home and still watching those hideous ads.  So much for that Idea.  It is straight to the back of the boat and rock with the evening breeze to the sounds of some nice music and sip a glass of a nice rum like a 15 year old Barbancourt or maybe some Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva.    Tonight a nice liqueur called Hacienda Saruro has my attention.   Sitting on the aft deck of the boat, I often wander in my mind back to places that make me feel very relaxed and comfortable.   This is a part of why that I live the way and where I do, it allows me some real peace.

   Tonight it is just to get away from the noise of Thanksgiving and thinking of how it has really lost its meaning.   The nice breezes of the evening and a glass of Hacienda have really mad me thankful of where I am and all that I have the privilege of seeing and doing in my life.   This has been a very exciting year with all of the visits to places that I have never seen before.   Bucket list places like Havana,Trinidad, and Venezuela, all of the people that I have met in my travels, and all of my latest rum friends that I have gotten to taste.

     Black Friday this morning, yeah, I guess I'll just go to work and see if I can make a few people who are not shopping a little happier.   Maybe I can get a few that have been sitting in those lines and didn't get what they were really looking for happy too.    If you've had enough and need some time to unwind from your shopping, try my method of easy music, fine quality rum, and a nice place under the stars and rocking with the breezes.   It brings a smile to my face, how about you.  ;o) 

Grog with a New Twist

Ye Olde Grog Dispenser

    Grog is a curious mixture of rum and water with a little lime to cut the foul taste of the water that was carried in casks aboard the ships in the 1700's.    The Name Grog came from the nickname that Vice Admiral Edward Vernon had because of the coat that he wore made of "Old Grogram" or "Old Grog".   More modern recipes include boiling water, lime juice, Cinnamon, sugar, all to improve the taste of the rum.   In most of the English speaking world, Grog is a rum based alcoholic drink.    To the Swedish it can be a mixture of any spirit and a soft drink and with only one spirit in the blend.  

    This brings me to today's story.   There is a group of guys that were "sitting around drinking some Coronas and telling lies", when they got this idea to start a new business.    Marcus Alden, Lloyd Williams, Greg Scott and Ken McFarland "took the bull by the horns", if you will and built their own distillery and developed their own "grog".   The boys all had strong engineering and distillation backgrounds and were able to create a reflux column still and a more traditional pot still.  Ye Olde Grog Distillery of St. Helens, Oregon was born.  They  make whiskey, vodka, and a pair of grogs.     

     The Dutch Harbor Breeze Grog is a 100 proof Whiskey based grog that was named for "it's smoothness.  The 70 proof Good Morning Glory Grog, a vodka based grog sweetened with blue agave nectar and four natural flavors.   Both of these are young spirits that are colored with caramel.   They were aimed at the college aged crowds in Oregon originally, but now they have reached the east coast and the Florida Keys.   Though not in the true grog spirit (not made from rum), they are a good mixing spirit that can fulfill the spirit side of a good cocktail.   The marketing and the packaging of these grogs is very unique and shows a great deal of creativity as does the entire program.  ;o)

Wishing I Could be on a Beach

     Today it is windy and chilly here in Key West.  It is one of those days that you think you need to head a little farther south.   Sometimes I guess I really don't realize how good I have it down here, but it is nice to dream for a while of being on a really cool beach where it is really nice and warm.   You know what I'm talking about, one lonely strip of sand that you can't get to without a small boat.    You don't have to be in the freezing north to feel the winter time blues, it happens here as well.    The good thing this year is that the cool down has been a very gradual one, but now it is jacket time here in the keys.

     I was thinking about Barbados or Antigua, the temperature there is still in the 80's and the beaches are calling me back there again.   Isn't it funny how now matter where you are, the season changes have an effect on you mood.    I'm still wearing shorts, and sad because I have a jacket on instead of a tank top.      Oh well, this too will pass and I'll be back on the water cruising out to the beaches of Mud Key, Boca Grand, Snipes, and the Marquesas soon enough.

     I'm thinking back to last January, we all got bundled up and headed out to Boca Grand in a pontoon boat for a birthday party.  All of us bundled up like a bunch of Eskimos, even though it was in the 70's that day.    The fun part of the day was that we were at the beach especially because it was January.   I guess that verbalizing my thoughts does make me feel better, but I still miss the warmth even though most of you wouldn't mind our temperatures right now where you are.   ;o)

My Fine Feathered Friends

Frigate in St. Thomas

    it is really interesting as I peruse through my many thousands of pictures that I have taken over the years down in the keys and in my travels.   I keep finding that there are always a large number of pictures of birds that I bring back with me.   I guess that I find that the many varied species of these birds are a source of contentment when I get the chance to photograph them and bring them back for my enjoyment over and over again.

Boobie in the British Virgin Islands

    It amazes me to see the expressions on the faces of the many birds as they fly freely overhead.   The gorgeous colors and shapes of their bodies and wings draw me in over and over again.   These birds from my home in the marina to all over the Caribbean  get my attention every time.    The really cool thing about all of these is that is all for free every where I roam.

Egret and a Green Heron

     At home I have a pair of wading birds that greet me every morning as I walk down the dock to my office.  An beautiful white Egret and a Green Heron that are having their breakfast as I wander by.  The have gotten use to me as I drift by and are not the least bit bothered by the interruption as I quietly slip past them.

Venezuelan Bananaquit

     On my last trip to Venezuela, I saw for the first time parrots, and many other very colorful birds that I have never seen before in the wild.  I found it very refreshing to see the birds that a so very common place here in America in cages flying free in the wild. 

     It really doesn't matter what parts of the Caribbean or the United States that I travel, I'm able to find a very large number of interesting land and sea birds to photograph.   Take a look up into the sky and enjoy the aerial performances that are all around you every day anywhere you are.  ;o)

Ron Santiago de Cuba Anejo

   Looking through some of the information that I gathered while wandering around Havana about a month or so ago I found a picture of a rum that really caught my attention.    Ron Santiago de Cuba Anejo, this nice little rum was enjoyed by the group of us one evening in the Telegrafo Hotel.   It was one of the more enjoyable evenings there in Havana chatting among the guys and sipping a fine Cuban rum.

    The really interesting part of the rum is that is is produced in the historic old Bacardi Distillery in Santiago de Cuba.   After the revolution in 1959, the distillery was nationalized and the Bacardi family left the island.  This is not the high tech factory that the Bacardi Rum is mad in now in Puerto Rico, but the original distillery opened in 1868 by Don Facundo Bacardi Masso, and is steeped with all of the history of the Bacardi years in Cuba.     The family left the island after the Revolution, the Cuban government has continued to make traditional rum in the distillery.     Ron Caney brand coupled with smaller amounts of Ron Santiago and Ron Varadero are what is produced by at the historical distillery.    The factory knocks out nine million liters a year, of which the majority is exported. There are no factory tours, but the Barrita de Ron Caney, a  bar for tourists attached to the factory, offers rum sales, cocktails, and tastings.


Bacardi Distillery Circa 1940 in Santiago de Cuba

    The rum itself is quite tasty, a deep copper colored aged rum with a delicate feel on the palate is underpinned by sweet almond and chocolate and a long finish. Although this is a rich, full bodied oakey aged rum, it is still a great mixer.  Serve it on the rocks with a squeeze of fresh lime or used for your favorite cocktails.   I know that I enjoyed it in Havana with a couple of cubes of ice.  ;o)

Sunday Morning Waking Up

What a beautiful morning in Key West, hope your day starts as beautifully as mine has.   ;o)

The Hacienda Botucal in La Meil

    The Hacienda Botucal in La Meil, Lara, Venezuela is a very unique place with cattle grazing around a classic hacienda style house that is located  just outside of the gates to Distilleria Unitas.   We were the guests of Diplomatico for an afternoon fiesta of appetizers, rum, music and lunch in the grand style of the Venezuelan hacienda life.     We were greeted by Tito Cordero at the gate, a group picture in front of the main house, then inside and the beginning of the afternoon fun.  

     The group of us were first treated to a tour of the grounds and a chance to see the lunch being cooked in a bar-b-que roasting box at the rear of the house.   Then it was out to the front porch for some Mojitos, Diplomatico rum cocktails, and music from a trio of local musicians.   There was a never ending table of local appetizers that were brought out one after the other and the local cheeses were like no other I've ever had.

The afternoon and the lunch were absolutely wonderful, but like all good things, the afternoon was gone before we really knew it.   I found it so peaceful out there on the grounds with a warmth and friendliness that country living can only provide.   I really enjoyed the food, rum and companionship Tito, Alfonso, and the crew that runs the Hacienda Botucal afforded us.

   And for dessert, was an aperitif of Hacienda Saruro aged rum liquor.  The perfect end for a perfect day in the Venezuelan countryside.   ;o)

CARIFORUM Likely to go to World Trade Organization

     "There is every indication that the Forum of the Caribbean Group of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM), which includes the Dominican Republic, will likely file a formal international trade discrimination claim against the U.S. in the new year if Washington does not agree to talks over heavy subsidies being given to British and American producers in the region to the great disadvantage of CARIFORUM exporters."    This is a definite step forward in the Caribbean Rum Wars.   There is a feeling of desperation among the CARIFORUM countries that if these subsidies continue much longer they will not be able to compete for the US market.

 

    The Caribbean governments have been petitioning the Obama lead administration about these heavy subsidies for the past year or so, but their appeals have fallen on deaf ears.    The real issue in my mind is that the US is subsidizing a British Giant Diageo.   I have  less of a problem with Cruzan, and American owned operation, especially when the rum producers on our home soil are not receiving the same consideration.   In a quote in the New York Amsterdam News, "Frank Ward, chairman of the Barbados Rum Industry, drove home this week the fears of the CARIFORUM nations by telling a national audience that a challenge to the Geneva-based WTO trade disputes agency will be the likely outcome of the current rum war if all other options fail as feared."

 

     With the election behind us, it is time for the administration to take a second look at this problem.   It is not only a problem for the Caribbean, but one for the rest of the world's rum producers.   Like any other industry, you can not subsidize one brand without providing the same assistance to the others or we will be suffering from the failure of the true American system of business.   

     "We find it extremely difficult to compete, and it is a challenge at this point in time. We are appealing not just to the Barbados rum industry, but the CARIFORUM rum industry in general, and to our governments to take this issue very seriously and to seek to have a dialogue with the U.S. government, with a view to resolving what we feel is an iniquitous and pernicious use of subsidies for multinational spirit companies and their rum production," Ward stated.

   


      Kelly Railean said "There are over 80 American manufacturers of rum operating in the USA and it is time to establish quality standards for "American Rum." Ask any American rum manufacturer and they will tell you that the main obstacle to growing the domestic rum category and their small business is the unfair tax subsidies offered exclusively to rum companies operating in U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico and USVI. These subsidies restrict free market competition and give global manufacturers such as Bacardi and Diageo an unwarranted hold on the American rum market. The American Rum Association is fully committed to exposing these unfair practices and providing products made in the U.S.A.; thus providing jobs, fueling our American economy and aiding in the recovery of our economic system."

 

     The time has come to create a level playing field for the rum industry to grow in a time when America is rediscovering rum.  I for one do not want to have my choices of rum determined by the bureaucrats in Washington D.C., by subsidizing foreign producers at the expense of the American ones.

  

Angostura:The Aromatic Bitters

    It is said that Queen Elizabeth's favorite cocktail is gin and tonic with a dash of Angostura Aromatic Bitters.   The preparation has a long history that was started by Dr. Siegert in 1872.  Developed in his lab located in Trinidad, he developed the bitters as a digestion aid, but became the seasoning for the world's cocktails as its true legacy.

     Bitters are made much like coffee is by percolating hot water over the ground up barks, herbs and grains in the basket.  The actual formula is a closely guarded secret, but resultant bitters do wonders for many of today's cocktails.    Making of the bitters is a relatively simple process that takes up only a small corner of the "House of Angostura".

     The House of Angostura is by appointment of Queen Elizabeth II the manufacturer of Angostura Aromatic Bitters.   There is a special "Diamond Jubilee" edition of the bitters that was made in very limited quantities for her 50th annaversary as the Queen of England.

     The Aromatic Bitters is only a small portion, but the basis of what is now one of the largest manufacturer of rum and the aromatic bitters in the world.  I found the tour and the simplicity of the operation to be very interesting.   It is always a wonder to me how a simple idea can grow into a huge success like this one has.   ;o)

The Magic is in the Barrel

     One of the important things in getting the exact flavor that you want from a great rum comes from the barrels that are used to age the rums.   The barrels can and are used for many other types of aging before being used for aging rum.   The oak barrels can be charred, lightly or heavily depending on what is to be the desired result for the maturing of the rum.  They may also be unburned as well.   Most of the barrels are former bourbon barrels made of American Oak that were used only once to age bourbon.

Charred and unburned staves

     Today in the modern distillery the blender has many different rums at his or her disposal from which to create a new rum.   At DUSA, Tito Cordero has some sixty different rums from which to create his new blends.   The differences are for the most part how and in what the rums were aged.  I have tasted rums that are aged in sherry barrels, cognac barrels, scotch barrels, and many other types of barrels, and each has a distinct flavor that is imparted by the type of barrel in which it is aged.  Most of the alcohol that is placed in the barrels is of a similar in nature to start with, although some is heavier than others, but it is the time spent in the barrel that gives the rum its unique characteristics.
     There is another side of the story too, many of the rums have spent time in barrels before blending, and some are rebarreled after blending to marry the flavors creating a new and different characteristic again.   This will generate a completely different rum that just blending and bottling the rums can not.  

     How come a bottle of old rum is so much more expensive than a young rum?   The most expensive portion of making rum is the aging.  The rum from the distillery has 2 to 30 years of aging before the bottle can be sold.  This means that huge amounts of rum are sitting in storage for many years before they can be bottled and sold.   Think about if you could not reap the benefits of your labor for that long and you had to have enough space to store it as well.  This is expensive any way you look at it. 

     The next time that you open a bottle of twelve to fifteen year old rum, just think about where this nectar has been and what the barrels have done for it in the time since it was distilled.  It is truly a magical change.   It is the natural and slow way of getting a rum flavor, and the best rums are done this way.   ;o)

Diplomatico World Cocktail Tournament Round 1

The Diplomatico World Cocktail Tournament contestants

     One of the honors that was bestowed on the six RumXP's in Venezuela was being asked to judge the Diplomatico World Cocktail Tournament in Barquisimeto, Lara.   The tournament took place at "Tantra" a very classy bar in the Hotel Jirahara.   There were a total of fifteen barmen entered in the tournament.   Their skills were extremely good and the originality of the cocktails showed a love for their craft.

RumXP Panel

     The Panel made up of Robert A. Burr, Robin Burr, John Gibbons, Adam Kanter, Robert V. Burr and myself, were given the tough chore of rating the cocktails based on the criteria spelled out in the rules of the tournament.   There were three areas on which we would judge the cocktails.  The first was a combination of neatness, precision of the work, uniformity of the four glasses, simplicity of the recipe, and manners and presences on stage.   The Second was the garnish, originality of the name for the cocktail, cocktail presentation, general appearance, and color of the cocktail.  The third was for our palates to decide, aroma, taste, and balance of the cocktail.    Each area was scored on a 0 to 10 rating, yielding a possible 30 points for perfection. 

Jose Garcia with the RumXP Panel

     After each barman took their turn on stage, and all of the evaluation completed, it was time for the statisticians to announce the winner, who will move on the Venezuela Tournament and possibly to the World Finals.   Tonight in a very close event, Jose Garcia was the winner.

    The tournament was just another of the fun time all of us RumXP's enjoyed while with the Diplomatico people in Venezuela.   I just can't say enough about the gracious treatment afforded us while in country.   Plus it was a pleasure to be able to sample fifteen great original cocktails.   ;o)

Questions: Can the WTO Help the Cribbean Rum Producers?

    The battle over the US subsidies that are being afforded the governments of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands is heading to a new level.   A couple of weeks ago Kelly Railean's American Rum Association joined those feeling that these subsidies are unfair to American rum producers as well.   I feel that the idea of hurting a small business here in the United States while subsidizing foreign owned rum producers is something that needs the attention of our lawmakers and a newly elected president who promised to protect the small American businessman.

    These trade policies have caused the Caribbean region some serious harm through the loss of bulk rum sales to brands that are not able to distill their own rum. The Cribbean rum producers can not compete with the subsidized rum for price.   In an editorial in the Jamaica Observer, on Sunday 11 November , 2012 there is a question whether or not even the World Trade Organization will be able to help the Caribbean rum exporters.  

"Ironically, the United States, the biggest ally and friend of the Caribbean, has pursued trade policies which have caused some of the greatest harm to the region, the so-called third border. Before rum, the Caribbean was seriously hurt by US policy which resulted in the dismantling of the European Union's preferential arrangements for bananas.

The US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are benefiting from massive subsidies to their rum industries, in some cases exceeding 100 per cent of the fixed and variable costs of production for rum destined for the American market. These subsidies are funded by the US excise tax on rum, most of which is returned by the United States to the USVI and Puerto Rican governments.

The effects of these subsidies are already causing significant damage to the vital Caribbean rum industry. Several rum producers have lost long-term contracts to supply bulk rum. This trend will continue because subsidised production capacity is larger than the existing market share of Caribbean rum exports. This excess capacity will first disrupt the US market then inevitably affect all export markets.

The governments of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) have launched a diplomatic campaign to get the US to change its policy. To strengthen the case, Caricom is thinking of taking the case to the WTO. The problem with this strategy is that even a ruling against the US in the WTO cannot guarantee a change in American policy, as has been illustrated by the case of Antigua and Barbuda versus the US on gaming."

This issue is not going to go away soon, and with the addition of the American rum producers, feeling they are also being put at a disadvantage, things are becoming very tense in reference to the subject.

Visit to Santa Teresa Distillery

 

Santa Teresa Solera

     Sorry for no story yesterday, but there is no available Internet service in the area around the Santa Teresa Distillery.   I'm at the Caracas Airport now waiting for my flight back to Miami so here are a couple of pictures of the distillery and the grounds around it.   I'll do a more complete story at a later time.

     Nestor Ortega, Maestro Ronero for Santa Teresa Distillery, at the entrance to the solera of which he has the complete control.    It is Senor Ortega's work as the master of the rum that makes the finished product so impressive.   We will cover all of this in a later story updating the solera system and what it does for the rum.   ;o)

    

DUSA Distillery Tour

   This is one of the most modern and classical distilleries all at the same time.   The efficient fermentation process along with the recapture of the yeasts from the light alcohol vats make the fermentation process fast yield high quality results.     Continuous column still operation is all automated producing a continuous flow of light alcohols for re distilling or to be sent to the lab for final inspection and analysis before barreling.   The pot still and the batch kettle  are operated manually and are only run when the need is there for the heavy alcohols.   Truly modern operation that can produce a large volume of quality products. 

     After the analysis and sensory inspection of the rum, it is ready to go to the storage tanks and be barreled to start the aging process.   DUSA has an automated barrel filling operation that is truly spectacular to watch.  The barrels are loaded onto a very special trailer that can back up to the aging bodegas and the be off loaded by the special forklifts that rotate the barrels and place them on the rack where they will rest until they a re  ready for blending and bottling.

     The bottling plant is one of the most modern anywhere.   It can handle the mass of rum and other products that are produced in the plant.

      This facility is a fully self contained from the growing of the sugar cane to the bottling of the rum.   DUSA is providing an internal medical facility, fire department, and ambulance service within the operation.  This is like a small city with all of the amenities of a city.  They are an extremely green in the daily operation of the entire facility.    The residue from the fermentation is used as cattle feed and fertilizer for the sugar cane fields.  The electricity is generated with a bio-fuel produced in the plant.   All of the operations in the facility are constantly being monitored for the purpose of improvement in reducing the eco-footprint on the area. 

   Thanks again to the people of DUSA for providing us the courtesy and friendship while we were in you country and facilities.   ;o)